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Http & https

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) like F5 ASM can protect HTTP applications by detecting and preventing various attacks, but its effectiveness is limited due to the unencrypted nature of HTTP. While WAFs can enforce security policies and block malicious traffic, they cannot secure data in transit, ensure session security, or provide integrity assurance. For comprehensive security, it is recommended to use WAF in conjunction with HTTPS to protect data confidentiality and compliance.

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3 views3 pages

Http & https

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) like F5 ASM can protect HTTP applications by detecting and preventing various attacks, but its effectiveness is limited due to the unencrypted nature of HTTP. While WAFs can enforce security policies and block malicious traffic, they cannot secure data in transit, ensure session security, or provide integrity assurance. For comprehensive security, it is recommended to use WAF in conjunction with HTTPS to protect data confidentiality and compliance.

Uploaded by

Mati Chala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Yes, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) like F5 ASM is technically capable of protecting applications

served over HTTP, but its effectiveness is limited by the inherent weaknesses of the HTTP protocol.

✅ Can a WAF Protect HTTP?


Yes — WAFs can inspect and enforce security policies on HTTP traffic, including:
Detection/prevention of attacks like:
SQL Injection (SQLi)
Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Command injection, etc.
Enforcing rules based on:
URI patterns
Headers
Request body parameters
Cookies
User agents
Rate limiting, IP blocking, bot protection, and other L7 controls

WAF does not rely on encryption to apply these rules — it only needs access to the application-layer
traffic, which is readily available in HTTP.

🔍 How Effective Is It Compared to HTTPS?


🔴 1. Exposure to Interception (WAF Can’t Help Here)
HTTP traffic is unencrypted, so:
Attackers can intercept and read data (including usernames/passwords).
Session hijacking is easier via packet sniffing or MITM attacks.
Sensitive headers (e.g., cookies) can be stolen.

🛡️ WAF protects the app, not the network or transmission layer — so it cannot protect against
threats introduced between client and server.
🔴 2. Authentication & Session Security
HTTP exposes login credentials and session tokens during transit.
WAF cannot encrypt or secure these on its own.

⚠️ 3. No Integrity Assurance
With HTTP, there's no cryptographic verification that traffic was altered.
An attacker in the middle can tamper with the request/response.
WAF may see the tampered request after it's already compromised.

✅ 4. WAF's Strengths Still Apply


WAF can block malicious payloads, malformed requests, protocol abuse.
It still offers:
Signature-based blocking
Behavioral anomaly detection
Virtual patching
Geo IP filtering

But its protection stops at the application layer, and it doesn’t encrypt or hide data in transit.

🧭 Conclusion
Criteria HTTP + WAF HTTPS + WAF

L7 Attack Protection ✅ Effective ✅ Effective

Data Confidentiality ❌ Not protected ✅ Protected

Session Security ❌ At risk ✅ Protected


Criteria HTTP + WAF HTTPS + WAF

Integrity Assurance ❌ None ✅ Built-in

Compliance Support ❌ Often fails audits ✅ Meets most standards

📌 Final Recommendation:
WAF can protect HTTP traffic, but it’s only half the solution.
For full security and compliance:
Use WAF with HTTPS.
Enable SSL offloading or bridging on your F5.
Use internal SSL if apps are internal-only.

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